This weekly update spotlights gang violence in the Niger Delta with a focus on cult and gang related clashes and killings in Akwa Ibom State. According to data (see map above), over 150 cult and gang related fatalities were reported in Akwa Ibom State between January 2018 and October 2022. Recent data shows a resurgence of cult and gang related clashes and killings in the State. In March 2022, for instance, a male student was reportedly stabbed to death by a cultist during a disagreement at a secondary school in Aka Offot community, Uyo LGA. In April, a clash between rival cult gangs allegedly sparked off violence between Yoruba residents and indigenes of Ibeno community in Ibeno LGA. Five persons were reportedly killed and several properties destroyed during the inter-ethnic conflict. More recently, on December 13, 2022, five persons were reportedly killed and many others injured during a clash between two rival cult gangs at a sport betting center along Ikot Ekpene Road near Ibom Plaza in Uyo, the state capital. The clash reportedly spread to other locations in the area and caused anxiety among residents.
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